Online Grocery Shopping in Australia

I’ll admit it, at first I was a little skeptical at doing online grocery shopping. I mean when it’s clothes or small electronic gadgets I never really cared about buying online, in fact I enjoyed how easy it was to buy stuff and how much cheaper everything was. But there is something a little more personal about the food I eat and I have never really been comfortable with someone else picking it out for me.

Why I Hate Grocery Shopping in Store

My wife and I both hated doing the weekly grocery shop. Let’s face it, there isn’t much to like. You have the effort of driving yourself to the shops, finding a park with all the soccer mums who drive gigantic 4wd’s trying to run you off the road – and you haven’t even started shopping yet! Once you are inside it isn’t much better… My biggest peeve was navigating around all the dilly dalliers and rambunctious children that always seem to get in your way. Then there is the seemingly endless wait at the deli only to be followed up with an even bigger wait at the checkouts (normally behind the old lady who wants to pay the exact amount with all the coins in her purse).

To be 100% honest – the whole grocery shopping experience annoys me and I would rather never do it again.

Moving to Online Grocery Shopping

My wife and I both agreed to trial online grocery shopping after we took our son on a normal weekly grocery trip and had a difficult time of it. Not only did it take us about an hour longer than it used to, but he was always cranky in the shops and he often sicked up on the floor. It was just so much more effort than we wanted to deal with. So we decided to give this online grocery shopping thing a go to see how it went.

The first thing I noticed is that both the major grocery companies in Australia have online shops

One of the major concerns I had was around how much it would cost in delivery fees.

Woolworths Delivery Fees

Up to $99.99

$13.00

$100.00 to $149.99

$11.00

$150.00 to $199.99

$9.00

$200.00 to $249.99

$5.00

$250.00 to $299.99

$3.00

$300.00 and over

$0.00

Coles Delivery Fees

$7 if delivered in the morning
$9 if delivered in the afternoon

As our shop is almost often between $120-$150 we decided to go with Coles due to their cheaper morning deliveries.

What is the Verdict?

So far I have been really happy with getting our groceries delivered to us. There have been a few minor hiccups along the way – like forgetting to add something to the list. But overall it has been a really great experience. I was particularly worried about the fresh produce as I used to work as a fruit and veg guy, so I have very high standards when it comes to my fresh produce. But to my surprise everything has been top shelf.

The thing that I like the most about online grocery shopping is that we can setup a recipe inside of the ordering platform. This means that the next time we go to make the same meal we don’t have to go searching for all the items again and can just tick the box to automatically order the same stuff again. Overall I think it takes longer to do your first few shops, but after 3 or 4 you have it down pat and it is considerably faster than going to the shops. Plus by doing your shopping online you are far less likely to make impulse purchases along the way.

I also like that the delivery person brings the food inside to your kitchen bench if you want them to. This helps my wife out as she can get started packing everything away immediately rather than having to lug everything from the van to the fridge.

Overall I believe the time we save by buying online far outweighs the $9 we spend in delivery. I would highly recommend it to other people if they are sitting on the fence in regards to trying it out. The worst case scenario is that you don’t like it and you have to go back and battle the other shoppers in the store.

What do you guys think? Have you tried online grocery shopping before? Do you have any questions about it that I might be able to help answer?

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I think online grocery delivery will only become a bigger market in the future. Google is experimenting with an online grocery service here in the United States, and I believe it has same-day delivery. I do like shopping in store, though, because we can apply all our coupons.DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Garage Sale: Success or Flop? Read about our Experience Hosting a Garage Sale

I fancy actually going to the shops because we find so many deals in-store but I can certainly see the pros and cons for home delivery. I know our neighbour gets his fruits and vegetables delivered to his home from an Asian market out of town and he says it costs him less and he doesn’t have to drive to get them. I think it’s great if you can see the pros and it fits your lifestyle. Great post!!Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge # 1 June 3-9, 2013: Organic Food Costs

That’s really interesting! I’m sure if it was available I’d give it a try once or twice, certainly during the hectic Thanksgiving and Christmas season to avoid the lineups!
But overall I find so many great deals and new products my family could end up loving by being able to wander the aisles a little, and of course using coupons I’d guess would be out of the question online, so I think in the end I’ll be an in store shopper for life! LOL:)

I used to shop online in the UK and was always disappointed with produce. Thankfully they had a no questions asked refund policy so most of the time I ended up getting 1-2 not so good items, but for free!
Also in the supermarket there was a reduced aisle with discounted meat and veggies and you miss that online.Pauline recently posted..Retirement? What retirement?

I think online shopping is going to be great if I ever get the chance to do it. Only hope that places like Sam’s and Costco join in are it wont matter for me since thats where I do all our shopping. I would really make you have to know what you want. Like you mentioned I can see a lot of people simply forgetting to include things on the list. But heck you can always drive for that one or two things.

I think it’s a great idea, and if it ever comes to my area, I’ll be on board. Does it list things that are on sale for the week? I would also think it would be easier to stick to your budget because you’d get the total and be able to remove stuff online that you likely wouldn’t if you were at the store and the checker already scanned it. Plus, I’d never get behind someone who had to write a check!

Glen, we used to do online shopping when we lived in the suburbs, and Rick used to actually work as an online grocery delivery guy. When you add in gas to drive to the store, impulse purchases, and stress, online shopping really can save you a lot!

I think this is a service that’s going to continue to grow over the years and I think it’s a brilliant idea. I don’t know that we’d ever do it as part of me does not trust that they would find the best deals, but am not opposed to trying it.

I love shopping for food online! The big supermarkets get really busy over here and by the time you’ve driven there, parked up, shopped and driven home, the best part of half a day has passed you by and don’t even get me started on the trolley wars! 🙂

Sounds like it may work out for you. We have a few options around here, but they are all pretty expensive. I really like using all of our coupons and that can’t be done online, so I only go to the store for now.Jake @ Common Cents Wealth recently posted..How to Watch TV Without Cable or Satellite

I’m so lucky to live next door to an IGA (without a car park – that’s how dense they pack ’em in, in my suburb). I’ll stop by for dinner stuff and then again for dessert if the impulse takes me. I’m so lucky! (meanwhile, at the bf’s, I feel like we’re *always* at the shops/in the carpark, and that kills my soul!)

IGA might be pricier, but given I don’t drive to IGA (or park), and I shop on a ‘as needed basis’, I’m sure I pay less in fuel (or likely cab, seeing I don’t own a car) charges as well as not ‘stocking up’ in one trip and then having waste. Living alone means I don’t really eat at home every night, and so I need a more flexible food buying plan.

I have almost no spam, but perhaps it depends what blogging platform you use. I’ll look into signing up for the site :s I am already getting post emails?! I gather that this is something different?SarahN recently posted..What’s in your (bathroom) drawers?

I just saw a thing that amazon is expanding their market in online grocery shopping. I seemed to be big in the early 2000’s but kind of died out for some reason, not sure why. I do hate grocery shopping too, but since I shop in small amounts an more often, not sure online would be beneficial to me. I’m considering doing a co-op produce delivery type thing though. I have a lot of friends who rave about it since everything comes from local gardens.

I did a post a while back about my experiences with online grocery shopping. Honestly, I love it. I hate going to the store and always end up with “junk” food that we don’t need and shouldn’t eat. With online shopping none of the crap makes it into the house. I also like the variety of pre-made and ready to heat foods I can buy online. I’m not sure if your stores have an unlimited delivery plan? Mine does, so I pay one price for 6 months of unlimited deliveries. I did the math and even if we ship a few weeks a month it still makes sense.

I actually think almost everything is easier online… it’s only a matter of time before online and ‘to your door’ convenience pretty much replaces physical shopping altogether; well, I mean that may not be entirely true as some people do enjoy interacting with others and the whole ‘experience’ of the physical presence of items…

Personally though, I’m always just aiming for comfort and convenience and as you highlighted – there are many pitfalls to shopping in person, all of which are avoided if you shop online and there’s also added bonuses like being able to take as long as you want to ponder products or research comparison, you can really focus and nail down exactly what you want, and, as you say – avoid stupid impulse buys.Nick @ BayCrazy recently posted..Recommended Reading: Monster Piggy Bank

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